Jake Bloom
Charlottesville, VA
University of Virginia

Last 5 blog entries: Day 3- Build Day- Providence

Show latest update from from Jake's blog Day 3- Build Day- Providence Day two of Bike and Build is in the books and boy is this summer going to be amazing! After a little confusion over the wake up time we all biked over to a Habitat build site in Providence located on Jefferson Ave. We were met by Herman, our Dutch accented Habitat executive director, who promptly put us to work. Splitting into five groups we each took a separate floor in the duplex and got to work. We were off to a fast start working on ?cutting? the intersection of the ceiling and wall throughout the duplex, as well and putting a second coat on most of the walls. Throughout the day we kept motivated by coming up with lyrics to a song in honor of our cohort Amy, who has yet to join us on our trip. We were greeted at noon with an unbelievable lunch sponsored by a local BBQ joint. Ribs, chicken, slaw, and cornbread quickly met our ravenous mouths, there was no chance there would be leftovers. Back to work for the second half of the day we put the finishing touches on the trim and played a couple of guessing games. What is dead but still grows? The answer is clearly Gabe?s moustache. As the day came to an end Herman hollered to us announcing that ice cream was on the side of the house. Thinking he had picked up a couple of cartons of the ?good stuff? we were all surprised to see (and hear) an ice cream truck parked on the side of the house! After helping ourselves to firecracker pops, ninja turtles, Batman, and shaved ice we completed cleanup at the site. After snapping a few group pictures we rode back to Hillel for some afternoon errands. The excitement is high back at base camp as we prep for our first pre-ride sleep. More updates to come as we will officially begin the biking portion of our trip tomorrow! Wheel dipping ceremony at 8:15!!

Jake's bio: Hey everyone! My name is Jake Bloom and I'm currently a 4th year at the University of Virginia. I’m 21 years old and have lived in Charlottesville, Virginia since I was 7. After spending another four years here for college I’m hoping to leave Cville at the end of the summer. My four years at UVa have been a blast and I am sad that it will be over so soon. In my spare time I enjoy anything that has to do with the outdoors; Swimming, biking, rollerblading, golfing, and skiing are some of the things I enjoy most. I’m on the club swimming team and have been on the club skiing team over the past four years. This past summer I coached a summer swim team and had the time of my life, I’m hoping that this summer will be even better. During the school year you can find me painting in the UVa Drama scene shop, throwing a football on the lawn with some friends, and cheering on the Cavaliers. WA-HOO-WA! Last fall my friend showed me Bike & Build and since then I have had it bookmarked on my computer waiting for the beginning of my trip. Spending over two months on the road seeing the heart of America had me captivated from the moment I browsed through the website. I am always looking for an adventure and can’t even imagine how unreal this one this will be. I can’t wait to put myself out of my comfort zone, hopefully get in the best shape of my life, and learn more about myself on this journey across the country. I assisted in disaster relief in Waveland, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and learned a great deal about affordable housing. We focused on constructing houses for those who had been living in MEMA or FEMA trailers for the past year and who had no insurance to cover the cost of a new home. All of the houses we worked on were funded through grants and donations to the organization that we were working with. I encountered a lot of great people and the stories that I heard along the way will stay with me forever. The best way to grow your knowledge and consciousness of affordable housing is through hands on work with the cause and I am hoping to achieve that this summer. I am eager to have similar encounters throughout the summer and further my involvement in the cause and raise the awareness in others. Wish me luck!

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